The crime rate was high, and the unemployment rate in that area was just as bad.
Tiffany had a good grasp of what it was like before moving there, so she had prepared for it before deciding to move there.
Danger could be around any corner, but she had prepared for that in advance by sending not one but two of her puppets.
They were puppets that worked mainly as a duo, as one among them was most suited to observing, while the other was most suited to combat.
The puppet with many eyes on its body acted as the main observer of the surroundings and the main controller that would direct itself and the other puppet into performing each action.
The other puppet with the extra arms mainly acted as the main protector and close combatant.
That seemed to work out so far for their combination, allowing them to overcome several challenges together.
The streets were filled with people driven to commit all kinds of crimes, but the most common one was theft or theft-related attacks.
Many people were pushed to dangerous extremes where they did things to let them live another day longer at the cost of someone losing something or being harmed.
The same encounter had happened a couple of times since Tiffany had moved her puppets into that neighbourhood, but she did not let it slide.
She used it as an opportunity to recruit potential that had been in a very poor situation and were desperate for any form of assistance.
They would be given a chance to work for her when she encountered them, but they would mainly start as messengers or informants.
Since they were living on the streets, they would often go unnoticed, and that was something that could often be made use of.
They were perfect people who could be used to gather information from things they would overhear, and that could result in them getting paid enough to be able to feed themselves and perhaps even provide them with opportunities to get off the streets.
If they proved to be more useful, then she would think about recruiting them into her growing organisation.
If she encountered them another time and they still chose to attack her when she was passing through, then it showed that they had not changed since encountering her and that she was being too soft on them.
If the carrot did not work, then it would be the stick to be used next.
After making her way through the dark and dangerous back alleyways, she soon found herself at an old building that seemed to be abandoned.
It looked quite rundown and seemed to be falling apart in various places.
Tiffany controlled her two puppets to look around the surroundings before approaching and entering.
They continued to wear their disguises as they walked into the main room that had a couple of spots where the holes in the ceiling had light shining down onto the floorboards.
The floorboard kept creaking with each step taken inside the room, resulting in a faint echo spreading out along with the sound of the wind blowing through the gaps in the housing.
A figure could barely be seen as they were perched up on the windowsill.
They were crouched there while looking downward to the newly arrived duo, and then turned their gaze toward another figure who was seated against the wall.
The person sitting against the wall was a little shorter than the others, as they did not look very old.
They seemed to be around the same age as Tiffany, with a slightly shorter stature than her, and they had a slightly chubby figure.
Their appearance became more visible as they seemed to have black hair that was in a short bowl cut, and they had black eyes.
He had slightly chubby cheeks, but the rest of his face was not too visible beneath the mask that covered his upper face.
He was dressed in a long-sleeved turtleneck sweater that was striped, while he wore oversized puffy shorts.
If there was something unique or strange about him, then it was seen once he came further into view, as his backside was bigger than the rest of his body.
The other person was quite muscular with a taller stature, while he seemed to be an adult.
His real age was unknown and not so easy to distinguish based on what everyone could see of him as a result of his clothing being more concealing of his identity.
He was wearing a hood up while having a full face mask covering his face.
The only part of his mask that showed anything behind it was the eye holes that showed a pair of black eyes.
He was fully dressed in a full black bodysuit that came with a hood, while there was a utility belt around his waist, gloves and boots.
He spoke first upon seeing everyone arrive. "It is good to see you all again. Good to know that we are all surviving in this hellhole. I will not waste your time and will get to the point of what this meeting is about.
I have been sniffing around some of the business happening with the usual group we have been targeting, and they have been acting unlike themselves. There are strange whispers of their activities changing all of a sudden, and that they are involved in a new business.
Some things have been happening lately that have been a cause for concern in these parts, so it would be a good idea for us to start looking into it. I really need your support for this one."
The younger male had already gotten up from where he was sitting and moved closer with a determined look on his face. "Spring. You can count on me."
The two dolls replied a moment later, confirming that they would help as a result of Tiffany switching from one body to the other, making use of their voice modification settings to make her voice sound different for each of them. "I am in."
"Me too."